Video has emerged from inside the US Capitol showing a protester appearing to take a selfie with a police officer.<\/p>\n
Thousands stormed the US Capitol complex on Wednesday (local time), freshly riled from a Donald Trump rally where the president reiterated his baseless claims the election has been stolen from him and encouraged protesters to march towards the building.<\/p>\n
As the raucous crowds became too much for Capitol Police, a minority managed to break into the building.<\/p>\n
From this chaos, the short clip, which has circulated widely across social media, shows several protesters inside an entrance to the building surrounded by police in riot gear.<\/p>\n
One unidentified officer, wearing a face covering and a high-vis police vest, then poses with one protester who leans in for a selfie with him before he nods his head in acknowledgment.<\/p>\n
Someone out of shot can be heard shouting ACAB (all cops are bastards) repeatedly.<\/p>\n
The video has sparked outrage online, and was branded embarrassing and sickening by one Twitter user.<\/p>\n
However some have said the officer acted in a way to help diffuse the situation.<\/p>\n
Dramatic images from outside the US Capitol show protesters violently clashing with outnumbered police as they tried to contain the raucous crowd.<\/p>\n
Yet there were allegations online some officers were reluctant to prevent the protesters and some were even facilitating them.<\/p>\n
Another video shared online appears to show a group of officers, moving barriers aside, allowing protesters to advance on the building.<\/p>\n
NBC News Analyst Howard Fineman questioned on Twitter the actions of Capitol Police.<\/p>\n
Were Capitol Police just inept and unprepared, or did they either unthinkingly or deliberately lack motivation to block rioters from busting into the building? he asked.<\/p>\n
There has been comparison to last years Black Lives Matter protests in Washington which was met with a much stronger police presence in comparison to Wednesdays riot.<\/p>\n
Story continues<\/p>\n
When Black folks are protesting and progressives are protesting peacefully they were tear-gassed, they were arrested, they were shot with rubber bullets. They were shot with real bullets, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President Derrick Johnson told USA Today.<\/p>\n
Political commentator and television host Joy Reid called for an investigation into Capitol Polices response.<\/p>\n
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n More: <\/p>\n Police officer accused of 'sickening' act with Trump protester - Yahoo News Australia<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Video has emerged from inside the US Capitol showing a protester appearing to take a selfie with a police officer. Thousands stormed the US Capitol complex on Wednesday (local time), freshly riled from a Donald Trump rally where the president reiterated his baseless claims the election has been stolen from him and encouraged protesters to march towards the building Continue reading